NHS app to add AI triage for patient referrals

The NHS app will use AI to direct patients to the most appropriate service as part of a major technology overhaul across the health service. The triage tool adapts its questions based on patient responses to build a clearer picture of their condition, then routes them to options such as a GP appointment, pharmacy, emergency department or self-care advice.

The update is expected to reach more than 200,000 patients in the next 12 months and become available to all NHS app users by April 2028. A trial at a GP practice in Sussex led to a 29% fall in the number of people queuing by phone for an appointment, with clinicians saying the system helped patients reach the right care while preserving clinical judgment.

The rollout sits within a wider plan for using £10 billion in funding to improve NHS technology and data systems. AI note-taking tools that record patient-staff conversations and generate real-time transcriptions will also be expanded nationally after a Great Ormond Street Hospital-led trial across nine NHS sites in London found staff spent almost 25% more of their time interacting with patients.